Thill-coupling.



W. JOHN STON.

THILL COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25. 1910.

Patented May 16, 1911.

n A Z "era sas WILLIS JOHNSTON, OF SOHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OFTHREE-FOURTHS T0 NORTON WILLIS JOHNSTON, OF .CI-IAPPAQUA, NEW YORK.

THILL-CO'UPLING.

eeaaee.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of NewYork, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements inThill-Gouplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in thill couplings; andparticularly to conplings in which the thill is adapted to be removablylocked about the shackle bolt of a shackle of the usual construction,and which is secured to the front axle of the vehicle. a

It has for its object to provide means whereby the thill may berespectively unlocked from and locked about the said shackle bolt bysimply raising or lowering the thill.

The nature of my invention will be best understood when described inconnection' with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a planview of the shackle and thill in normal and locked position. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same, partly in section. Figs. 3 and 4 are viewsillustrating the unlocking and locking of the thill.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

Referring now to the clrawings-10 designates the front axle of a vehicleto which is secured in any well known manner, as by means of a clip 11,the shackle 12. A thill 13 is forked at its inner end, and provided witha bearing or fixed jaw 14 adapted to partly surround (but not more thanhalfway) the shackle bolt 15. Pivotally secured to the fork 16 of thethill is a locking member or jaw 17, adapted to surround a portion ofthe shackle bolt 15 when the coupling is in normal and locked position,as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. A flatspring 20 fixedly secured to thethill 13 bears upon the upper face of the said locking member 17 so asto yieldingly hold the said pivoted locking member in its closedposition under a spring pressure. In the unlocked position, Fig. 3, thespring 20 registers with a notch 21 in the upper face of the pivotedlocking member to yieldingly lock the same in this position.

An upper nose 22 and a lower nose 23 of the said locking member 17 areadapted to make contact with the face 24 of the shackle 12 inrespectively unlocking and locking the thill from and about the shacklebolt, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the spring 20 serving to maintain thesaid locking member in one or the other of the two said positions.

To look the thill 13 to the shackle bolt 15, the thill is held in theraised position shown in Fig. 3 and the locking member inserted behindthe bolt 15. The thill 18 is then lowered into normal position, Figs. 1and 2, the nose 23 of the locking member 17 during the said lowering ofthe thill 13 making contact with the face 2 1 (Fig. 4) and rotating thelocking member 17 slightly about its pivot 25 until itsurrounds the bolt15 sufiiciently to prevent the thill from being uncoupled therefrom. Inthis position it is held by the fiat spring 20.

To uncouple the thill 13 from the bolt 15, the same is raised until thenose 22 makes contact with the face 24: (Fig. 3) and is rotated aboutthe pivot 25, in the opposite direction from the locking rotation,sufiiciently to permit the thill to be lifted off the said bolt 15. Inthis position the notch 21 has slipped under the spring 20 and thelocking member 17 is thus securely held.

I claim 1. The combination with a shackle and a shackle bolt, and athill adapted to surround a portion of said bolt, of lockingmeanscarried by said thill and adapted to surround an additional portion ofsaid shackle bolt sufficient to prevent the said thill from beingwithdrawn from said bolt, and means, actuated by raising the thill apredetermined degree, to unlock said locking means from said shacklebolt.

2. The combination with a shackle and a shackle bolt, and a thill forkedat one end and adapted to surround a portion of said bolt, of lockingmeans pivoted between the fork of said thill and adapted to surround anadditional portion of said shackle bolt sufficient to prevent the saidthill from being withdrawn from said bolt, and means, actuated byraising the thill a predetermined degree, to unlock said locking meansfrom said shackle bolt.

3. The combination with a shackle and a shackle bolt, and a thilladapted to surround a portion of said bolt, of locking means carried bysaid thill and adapted to surround an additional portion of said shacklebolt suflicient to prevent the said thill from being withdrawn from saidbolt, and means, actuated by raising the thill a predetermined degree,to unlock said locking means from said shackle bolt, and means, actuatedby lowering the thill a predetermined degree, to lock said lockingmeans.

4. The combination with a shackle and a shackle bolt, and a thilladaptedto surround a portion of said bolt, of a locking member pivotallysecured to said thill and adapted to surround an additional portion ofsaid shackle boltsufficient to prevent the said thill from beingWithdrawn from said bolt,

and means on said locking member'to engage the face of said shackle tounlock and to lock said locking member respectively from and about saidshackle bolt upon respectively raising or lowering said thill apredetermined degree.

5. The combination With a shackle and a shackle bolt, and a thill forkedat one end and adapted to surround a portion of the said bolt, of alocking member pivoted to the fork of said thill and adapted to surroundan additional portion of said shackle bolt sufficient to prevent thesaid thill from being withdrawn from said bolt, and provided with anupper and a lower nose to engage the face of said shackle to unlock andto lock said locking means respectively from and about said shackle boltwhen the said thill is respectively raised or lowered a predetermineddegree, and a spring to hold the said pivoted locking member in unlockedV and locked position.

Signed at Schenectady in the county of -Schenectady and State of NewYork this 22d day of January A. D. 1910.

WILLIS JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

J OHN SHAW EATON, W. C. PIERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

